Adjustable fish holder



Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES PA'EENT GFFICE 2,300,321 apJU-srAm-.E Fisn HOLDER Benjaminv F. `Swezey, Bellingham, Application September 5, 1940, Serial No. 355,534

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved construction of holder for use in engaging and holding a fish while being cleaned including means for detachably securing theholder to a supporting surface. Y

More particularly, it is an aim of this invention to provide a construction of holder including a pair of clamping jaws for engaging a iish having actuating means vfor readily opening and closing the jaws and for effectively clamping the jaws in a closed position.

More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide an improved construction of lever or handle for actuating one of the jaws including a cam portion for engaging beneath the jaw when the handle is swung downwardly for closing the jaw and effectively retaining it in a closed position, and a lug for engaging above said jaw, when the handle is swung upwardly,

to retract the cam portion, for moving the jaw' to an open position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the adjustable sh holder,

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the same,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 3 3 of Figure l, and

Figures 4 and 5 are transverse vertical sectional views taken substantially along the planes of the lines 4--4 and 5 5, respectively, of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, Il] designates generally the fish holder which includes a base portion II which is channel shaped throughout a greater portion of its length. The end of the channel shaped portion is turned downwardly and back upon itself to form the portion I2 which, as best seen in Figure 3, is provided with a threaded insert I3, adjacent its free end, to receive the threaded shank of a follower screw I4 which is provided with a swivelly mounted head I5, at its upper end, and a wing head I6, at its lower end. Base Il is also provided with a flat extension II at its opposite end forming a fixed jaw. The sides of the channeled portion of the base II, at its end adjacent the jaw I'I, are enlarged to provide pairs of upwardly projecting spaced ears I8 and I9. T

A movable jaw 23, Awhich is bowed longitudinally, is provided intermediate of its ends with depending sides 2l forming spaced ears which are apertured to aline with apertures in the pair of ears I8 to receive a bolt 22, which is provided with a head at one end and a nut at its opposite end, to thereby pivotally mount the movable jaw 20 relatively to the base H4 and the fixed jaw I'I. As best seen in' Figure l, the ears 2| are disposed between the ears I8 and forwardly thereof the jaw 2l) is widened to substantially the same width as the jaw Il, which is likewise substantially wider than the channeled portion of the base I I. The forward end of the movable jaw 20 is toothed, as indicated at 23 in Figure 1, which portion is adapted to engage the upper surface of the rigid jaw I'I, adjacent its free edge,

when the jaws are in a closed position to afford an effective gripping surface for engaging the tail of a fish, not shown, to be cleaned. The opposite, restricted end of the jaw 20, which is disposed rearwardly of the pivot 22, is bifurcated to form a centrally disposed slot 24 and a pair of legs 25, the free ends of which are bent downwardly, as best seen in Figure 2.

As seen in Figure 2, the pair of ears I8 extend to a height substantially above the height of the ears I9. A lever or handle 26, preferably including a tubular gripping portion 2l, has the bifurcated extension 28, integral with one end of the gripping portion 2l and which projects from the lower portion thereof. As best seen inFigure 5, the legs 29 of the bifurcated portion 28 are turned outwardly and back upon themselves and are provided, adjacent their lower edges, with alined apertures adapted to aline with corresponding apertures in the ears I9 to receive a bolt 30, which is provided with a head at one end and with a nut at the opposite end. The free ends of the legs 29, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, are elongated to project upwardly to engage under the legs 25 of the jaw 20. These elongated portions of the legs 29 are provided with rounded rear edges forming cam surfaces 3I, for a purpose which will hereinafter be apparent. The handle 26 is also provided with a lug 32 which extends upwardly and outwardly from the forward end of the grip portion 21 and which is disposed above and between the legs 29, as best seen in Figure 1.

From the foregoing it will be obvious, that the holder Ill may be readily secured to any'suitable supporting surface, not shown, such as a bench,

table or the like by moving the base portion il so that an edge of the support is engaged between the swivel head l of the clamping screw' I4 and the portion of the base Il thereabove, after which the wing head I6 may be manually turned to clamp the support therein. Assuming that the parts of the holder I0 are in the position shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the operator then grasps the grip portion 21 of the handle or lever 26 and swings it upwardly on the pivot formed by the bolt 30. This movement causes the legs 29 to swing forwardly and downwardly and out of engagement with the legs 25 of the movable jaw 20 and also causes the lug 32 to be swung forwardly and downwardly to engage the upper side of the movable jaw 20 between the slot 24 and the pivot 22, as seen in dotted lines in Figure 3, to swing the rear end of the jaw 2i) downwardly to thereby raise the forward end of the jaw from its position, as seen in full lines in Figure 3 in engagement with the rigid jaw l?, to its position as seen in dotted lines in Figure 3. The slot 24 is provided to accommodate the forward end of the handle 26 when it is swung upwardly to enable the lug 32 to Contact and swing the rear end of the jaw 20 downwardly. After the jaw 20 has been moved to the position, as seen in Figure 3, in dotted lines, a sh, not shown, may be positioned so that its tail is resting on the rigid jaw I1. The grip portion 21 of handle 2S is then swung downwardly and back to its original position, causing the legs 29 to swing upwardly and rearwardly so that their cam surfaces 3| -will engage under the legs of the jaw 20 to swing the rear end of the jaw upwardly and the forward end downwardly and into clamping engagement with the tail of the fish, to thereby effectively hold the fish so that it can be cleaned.

Various modifications and changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts forming the invention are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to as only a preferred embodiment thereof has illustrated and described.

I claim:

A sh holder comprising a fixed jaw having laterally spaced upstanding ears, a movable jaw having depending ears, intermediate of its ends, pivotally connected to the upstanding ears, said fixed jaw having a second pair of upstanding ears behind its first mentioned pair of ears, a handle pivotally connected to the last mentioned pair of ears, said handle having upwardly projecting cam portions at its forward end for engaging under the rear end of the pivoted jaw and arranged to move the forward end of the pivoted jaw downwardly and into engagement with the fixed jaw, when the handle member is swung downwardly, said handle having an upwardly opening notch adjacent its forward end, the pivoted jaw being provided with a slot in its rear end to receive the notched portion of the handle when the handle is swung upwardly, and a lug carried by the handle for engaging the upper side of the rear end of the pivoted jaw for moving said jaw to an open position when the handle is swung upwardly.

BENJAMIN F. SWEZEY. 

